San Francisco Seals (ice hockey)

The San Francisco Seals was the name of multiple professional and amateur ice hockey teams based in San Francisco, California. The name holds significance in hockey history due to its association with various leagues and levels of competition.

Several distinct teams operated under the San Francisco Seals banner. A team competed in the Pacific Coast Hockey League (PCHL) from 1916 to 1928. This incarnation of the Seals was one of the prominent teams on the West Coast during the early years of professional hockey.

Later, a team known as the San Francisco Seals participated in the California Hockey League in the 1930s.

The most well-known iteration of the San Francisco Seals played in the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 1961 to 1966. This team achieved a degree of success and helped cultivate hockey interest in the Bay Area. The WHL Seals were notable for their strong fan base and competitive play.

In 1966, the WHL Seals were purchased and relocated to Oakland, California, becoming the California Seals. This team subsequently entered the National Hockey League (NHL) as an expansion team in 1967, initially named the California Seals, then later renamed the Oakland Seals, and eventually the California Golden Seals before relocating to Cleveland and becoming the Cleveland Barons.

While the NHL franchise eventually moved, the "Seals" name remains an important part of the history of hockey in California, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area. The earlier teams contributed significantly to the development of hockey on the West Coast, and the WHL Seals served as a stepping stone to bringing an NHL team to the region.